Fallen Cherry Blossom
by Gaara's Plaything
Summary: Sakura has left her life in Konoha behind. She's been travelling alone for awhile, but then meets up with someone from her past. GaaSaku. Rated M for lemons.


**Got a one-shot here for you. It's lightly based on the fact that foreign shinobi have to register their presence, blah, blah, blah. You know, how Sakura demanded that the sand siblings show they had legit reasons to be in Konoha at the chuunin exams. I thought, what if that happened the other way around, only the one being asked was no longer a shinobi?**

**Anyway, this it the end result, so please enjoy, ok?**

**Don't own Naruto.**

_**Fallen Cherry Blossom**_

She was tired, that was the excuse she'd used. Tired of all the deaths and the endless need to put people back together, even though most of them ended up beyond repair. So after it was all over, Sakura went to the Hokage and formally quit... I mean, retired. Not that he was too happy about it. After losing one of the best medical ninja's in the war with Akatsuki, Danzou didn't appreciate the next best thing up and walking out of there. But by the laws that governed shinobi, for Sakura having been a ninja for at least the minimum required time, or having done the minimum required missions, he couldn't find a reason to refuse her demand... I mean, request.

So now she was roaming the world, her newly gained civilian status giving her access to places that would have been barred from her before. Or at least, more difficult to get in to. For one thing, she could go into other hidden villages without having to officially declare her presence, going through a whole lot of red tape just to travel. Unless she'd been on a covert mission, of course, but that was a different matter entirely.

All civilians had to do when they entered a village was flash their details at the guards, and they would generally be let through. Sometimes, depending on the village, they wouldn't even need to do that. Only war ever really changed this fact, and right now, there hadn't been a war since...

Pushing her thoughts away from that track, Sakura looked around where she was. Suna. She hadn't been here in a number of years. Not since the 'let's go rescue Gaara from those teme Akatsuki, dattebayo!' mission. Thinking of Naruto had her all melancholic again. Kami, how she missed him! But she couldn't go back, not yet. She could only hope that he'd understand.

As she wandered through the streets of the village hidden in Sand, Sakura tried desperately to get her thoughts away from her beloved team mates. Kakashi was dead and Sai had been severely injured enough to keep him from missions. At least, that had been the case when she was last in the village. Maybe he was all better now, maybe he was dead too. Naruto was the same as always, except for the fact that, after her bravery in protecting him on the battlefield, the shy Hinata had caught his attention, causing him to act like a bumbling, stuttering teenager until he worked up the courage to ask her out.

Sakura wondered how they were doing at the moment. An unbidden thought rose in her mind, the thought of another former team mate. Sasuke. The traitor. He'd been a part of the Akatsuki, there when Konoha had been attacked. But he'd been defeated alongside Madara, and hadn't been seen since. It was a little after that time that Sakura'd left, so anything that had happened since then, she had no idea.

A movement caught her attention, and she looked over to see a bunch of people dancing in the middle of the street. What the...? Was there are festival on or something? A more detailed look around gave her her answer. Yes there was, apparently. How had she not noticed that? She was a (former) ninja, it should have come to her attention straight away. Sakura smiled slightly. It seemed that she was finally adapting to civilian life after all.

Her presence caught the attention of a laughing man with light brown hair, and he came over to her, extending his hand. Throwing caution and a whole lot of other things to the wind, she took his proffered hand and joined him in the dancing throng. He was quite handsome, and if she found out that he was unattached...

Pushing such thoughts out of her head, she eagerly went forward, bumping and grinding herself with him. He pulled her closer, and she breathed his scent in. It had _definitely _been a long time since a man had made her feel like this. She needed to get laid. Maybe later tonight, even if it wasn't with Mr. Hottie here. The lights that lit up the streets at that point were harsh, and she had to admit, it did kind of add to the heated atmosphere.

For awhile, she danced in the crowd, losing herself. The heat of all the bodies dancing staved off the cold of the night, but then something new came along. The beat of the music slowed, and people stopped dancing. Confused, Sakura looked around, only to lay eyes on three people she hadn't seen since the war; Temari, Kankurou and Gaara.

The sand siblings were joining in the party; she was more than a little surprised that Gaara was participating. She thought he hated crowds, that they made him nervous? That's what he'd said back then, but then again, people change. She had, after all. In a _big _way. She stared at the three of them, drinking in the sight of familiar faces.

They must have felt her staring, for they turned as one to stare back, and Sakura was painfully reminded of the chuunin exams, where she'd first met them. Back then, they'd done the exact same thing. They stared at her a moment, then looked at each other, apparently not needing words to communicate. A pang ripped through her heart. Her, Naruto, Kakashi and Sai had been like that once, long ago. It was what had made them such a fine tuned and unbeatable team.

With a start, she realised that Gaara was coming towards her, and it was all she could do not to turn tail and run. That would be foolish, since he would only send his sand to drag her back. But she didn't want to be around people that she'd known before, and yet she was powerless to prevent it. He stopped less than a hairs breadth away from her, and she could smell his scent as well. He was far more intoxicating than the other guy, and Sakura found that she could barely breathe. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear.

"I know what you are," he breathed. "The way you moved when you danced was a dead giveaway. You're a kunoichi."

Damn! That was something that she was never going to be able to change, no matter how hard she tried. Still, at least he didn't seem to recognise her, that was a plus. But did this mean that they'd actually noticed her _before_ she'd noticed them? Crap!

"So what if I am?" she asked him brazenly, keeping her voice in a whisper like his.

"Then I would have to have my Anbu arrest you," he told her, and she saw him smirk at the widening of her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because you didn't register your presence in the village. All visiting shinobi are required to."

How would he know whether or not she hadn't? Yet even as she thought that, she realised that of course he would know. He was the Kazekage, after all. But his words brought to her mind that time she'd demanded that they tell her why they were in Konoha, and she shivered. Gaara's hands came up to caress her arms as the dancing started again, and he pulled her closer. Running his fingers down the length of her arms, he then pulled them up to rest lightly over his shoulders.

"So tell me," he breathed in her ear, "tell me why I shouldn't have you thrown into a jail cell for ignoring protocol?"

This was her trump card. "Because I am no longer a shinobi," she told him, feeling him stiffen ever so slightly before relaxing again. "If you arrest me, you'll be arresting a civilian, and you'd want to have a damned good reason to do that, Kazekage-sama."

His arm then snaked around her waist and he forcefully pulled her to him. Sakura could feel his sculpted body against hers, and she felt a stirring deep within her. Gaara leaned into her so that his lips were at her ear, causing her to shiver slightly. He caught her earlobe between his teeth, the action causing her to gasp lightly.

"I don't believe you," he whispered harshly. "There's no way that Naruto would let you go, not after everything that happened!"

Shit! He _did_ recognise her!?

"He didn't," Sakura told him. "He tried to stop me leaving, actually. It was Danzou that gave me permission."

Gaara pulled away from her. "Danzou died nearly three years ago," he told her. "Just how long have you been away from Konoha?"

The old goat was dead? That was what Naruto had called him. The blond had not been happy that Danzou had been appointed the sixth Hokage, even if it had only been 'temporary.'

"I've been gone three years," she told him. "Danzou is dead?"

Gaara nodded. "The Uchiha turned up, killed him and a bunch of the other elders," he told her. "Naruto and the others helped once Danzou and his ROOT Anbu started to target civilians to protect their own sorry asses. After they were dead, he gave himself up, and has been in Konoha ever since."

Sasuke was in Konoha? He'd just given himself up? That wasn't the most shocking news, though personally she didn't think that it was shocking that Danzou would hide behind others to protect his own ass. But Gaara wasn't about to let Sakura wander off into her own little world. His grip on her tightened, and she felt a renewed awareness rush through her.

"If you're no longer a leaf shinobi," he whispered, "what have you been doing?"

"Travelling," Sakura moaned.

Wait, moaned? Oh, kami! Gaara was pressing into her so tightly that her body was reacting to him in ways that she hadn't done in awhile. It was like she'd said, she needed to get laid. But with Gaara? Come on! That was just ridiculous! But her body didn't seem to think so as it continued to respond to his ministrations. Wait! What the hell was he doing with his hands!?

The streets lights suddenly dimmed, their illumination casting a seductive glow over the assembled throng. Gaara's hands were cupping her bottom now, and Sakura stifled a gasp as he thrust himself against her. Okay, maybe getting laid by the Kazekage wasn't such a bad idea, physically at least. But this was _Gaara _they were talking about, and that's just what would happen, too, if people found out.

People were starting to wander off, in groups, pairs and on their own, and Sakura decided that she really wanted to go back to the inn where she was staying. But Gaara was having none of it. As close as they were, he obviously decided it was near enough for a teleport, and that's exactly what he did. He used his sand to transport them to a darkened room where he immediately began to kiss her with a passion that shocked her. Maybe he'd decided that he needed to get laid, too.

Giving in completely to the sensations that were filling her, Sakura flung her arms more tightly around him and kissed him back. Taking that as a go, he started tugging at her clothes, starting with her top. He yanked it off over her head, and following it closely was her bra. He pushed her towards the bed, pursuing her down until he was atop her. She looked up into his eyes and cursed the lack of light. She couldn't read his expression.

Gaara hovered over her a moment, staring at her, then he began to kiss her again. His hands roved down and began pulling off her shorts, and soon all Sakura was wearing was her panties. Feeling the need to put them both on equal ground, she began undoing the buckles of his vest, pushing it off of him and shoving it on the floor, making sure that the shirt he wore underneath followed it. He seemed to grow impatient all of a sudden, and pretty soon, the rest of his clothes joined the other pieces on the floor.

They ran their hands over each other, exploring every nook and cranny until Gaara began to lower his kisses over her chin. Sakura moaned and arched her head back, giving him ample access to her neck. He moved even lower, to her breasts, where his mouth latched onto a nipple. Her hands gripped his hair tightly as he suckled, and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

His hands continued downwards, fingers slipping underneath the top of her panties and then sliding into the crevice of her womanhood. Sakura gasped and arched her hips into his hand as his fingers worked absolute magic on her senses. A finger slid in, followed by another, and soon she was grinding desperately into Gaara's hand. But then he stopped, and she looked at him in frustration, only to be met with his mocking smirk.

He yanked her panties off of her, rather unceremoniously, and then settled himself over her. Sakura spread her legs more to accommodate for his presence, and sighed in contentment as he slid into her. He filled her so completely, and for a moment they just lay there, revelling in the feeling of being joined so intimately.

Then Gaara started moving, and sensations filled her senses as she moved with him. His thrusts were slow at first, then began to gain momentum as they were swept up in a raging storm of passion. Sakura brought her legs up to wrap around him in an attempt to get even closer, and he responded by pounding into her fiercely. She cried out, moaned, whimpered and silently screamed as the pressure built up in her.

All of a sudden, Gaara flipped them so that she was on top, and she rode him harshly, grinding back and forth, up and down to the beat that sang in both their ears. His hands came up to grab her breasts, squeezing tightly as they rode the waves of ecstasy, and finally, Sakura could feel that she was close. Perhaps he felt it too, for he flipped them again so he was on top once more.

He was slamming into her frantically now, desperate to reach that spot inside her. When he hit it, Sakura screamed, ecstasy washing over her. She felt her muscles clamp onto him as she reached her orgasm, and after a few more thrusts, felt Gaara reach his. Warmth spread into her as she felt his seed spill high within her, and then he collapsed on top of her, spent. They lay there like that a moment, then he rolled off of her and gathered her close, spooning her.

Gaara fell asleep almost instantly, and Sakura was glad that he was able to sleep peacefully now. But she wasn't going to, not tonight. Carefully extricating herself from him, she gathered her clothes together, dressed, and with one last look at the man sleeping in the bed, she made her way out of the building and back to the inn.

The following morning when the Kazekage of Suna woke, he was alone and there was no trace of the woman who'd been in his bed except for her lingering scent.

**So, you know the drill. Review please!**


End file.
